Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-11-25

urdlnlnS anu consulnlndte JOcAysnlp, 10
go along with Edwin Forrest and Lady
Suffolk, Ripton, Rather. Confidence and
Dutchman. On this point the following
may besaptly extracted from the highest
authority-our "Bell's Life in London"
to wit, Porter's Spirit of the Times:
"Nimrod in admitting the superiority
of our Trotting Horses to the English,
claims that the English approach very
near to the American even in this breed
of cattle. Possibly the characteristic ma
tional vanity would not allow him to
make further concession. But there is
no comparison whatever between the
trotting horses of the two countries. Mr..
Wheelan, who took Rather to England
last season, and doubly distanced with
ease every horse that ventured to start
against him, as the record shows, informs
us that there are twenty or more road
sters in common use in this city that
could compete successfully with the fast
est trotters of the English turf. They
neither understand the art of training,
driving or riding there. For example !:
Some few years since Alexander was
purchased by Messrs. B. & G. of this city
for friend or acquaintance in England.
Alexander was a well-known roadster
here and was purchased to order, at low
rate. The horse was sent out and trials
made of him; but so unsuccessful were
they that the English importers consid-
cred him an imposition. Thus the mat
ter stood for a year or more. When
Wheelan arrived in England, he recog-
nized the horse, and learned the particu-
lars of his purchase and subsequent trials
there. BY his advice the horse was nom
mated in stake at Manchester 1--WE be-
lieve) with four or five of the best trot.
tiers in England, he (Wheelan) engage
ing to train and ride him. When the
horses came upon the ground, the odds
were four and five to one against Alexan-
der, who won by nearly a quarter of a
mile. Wheelan says he took the track at
starting, and widened the gap at his ease
that near the finish, being surprised
that no horse was anywhere near him, as
his own had not yet made a stroke, he
got frightened, thinking some one might
outbrush him, that he put Alexander ur
to his work and finally won by an i'm.
mense way; no horse, literally, came tc
the head of the quarter stretch as he came
out at the winning stand. The importers
of 4 1nx- dor 70
prised and delighted at his performance
that they presented Wheelan with mag
nifcent gold timing watch and other val
liable presents and sent Messrs. B. & C.
a superb service of plate, which may b,
seen at any time at their establishment
in Maiden Lane
Here it is clearly shown that the com
parative speed of American horses is t,
be attributed not to breed. but to man
agement. on which we rather insist. as /
is to be desired that American agricul
turists and all breeders and trainers o
horses should understand practice upon
some fixed and rational principles, rattle
than rely for success on some imaginary
! strain of horses, of no certain origin o
established blood. After all, we have ac
counts of performances in trOtting b,
English horses that may be considered a
extraordinary as those of our own, whel
allowance is made for the greater valu
placed, and the more attention and skill
bestowed upon trotters in this countr,
than that.
The celebrated English trotter Archer
t descended from old Shields, a remarkabl,
2 strong horse and master of fifteen ston
e (2lO lbs.) trotted his sixteen miles in
e very severe frost in less than fifty-iv
= minutes. In l19l, brown horse trOtte,
= in England on the Essex road sixteel
: miles in fifty-eight minutes and som
, seconds, being then Is years old-an,
1 while we are writing we learn from al
0 official report that Lady Hampton, on tn
a 2nd of May, 1912, in England trotte,
e seventeen miles in IS minutes and 3
i seconds, in harness. She was driven b,
V Burke. of great English trotting celebri
p, ty. On the 18th of October, 1899, a trot
:. ting match was decided over Sunbur
p Common, between Mr.. DiXon's brow
: gelding and Mr.. Bishops gray geldin
r carrying II stone C6S lbs.) each, whic
. was won by the former in y minutes an
: 10 seconds. A Mr.. Stevens made be
e which was decided on the 9Th of October
h 1876, that he would produce pair O
h horses, his own property, that shout
!, trot in tandem from Windsor to Hampto
r Court, distance of sixteen miles, With
the hour; Notwithstanding the eros
country road, and great number of turn
; ings, they performed it with ease in >
a minutes and ID seconds. Phenomena tror
ted nineteen miles in an hour. These e>
amples are adduced to show the fallac
i of that impression which would lead tn
s public to look to any but the true an